| Summary: | 博士 === 淡江大學 === 美國研究所 === 89 === Title of Dissertation: Total Pages: 340
Edgar Snow and China, 1928-1972: From News Reporter to Messianic Messenger
Key words: Anti-Fascism, Brotherhood, Freedom of Speech and Press, Manifest Destiny, Messenger
Name of Institute: Graduate Institute of American Studies, Tamkang University
Graduate date: June 2001 Degree conferred: Ph.D.
Name of student: Chi-yu Chang Advisor: Dr. Thomas B. Lee
(張其羽) (李本京 博士)
Abstract:
This research is focusing on the period during which Edgar Snow had served as American overseas journalist since his arrival in China for the first time in 1928. The first chapter is an introduction that discloses the motivation, purpose, scope, methodology, material sources and established scholarship of the research. The second chapter aims to explore how Snow’s home environment, childhood, education and working experiences influence and help shape his character and thoughts. Attempting to examine how Snow perceived and interacted with China before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the third chapter analyzes the situation background on (the eve of) his visit to China and what the visit was meant to be, how he interacted with officials and civilians of the United States, how he perceived China’s situation and Sino-American relationship, how much he was involved in Chinese internal affairs and the influence of such involvement, and how and why he judged the Kuomintang regime from much more critical criteria. Aimed at examining how Snow perceived and interacted with China after the establishment of the P.R.C., the fourth chapter analyzes the situation background during his three visits to China and what they were meant to be, how he interacted with officials and civilians of the U.S., how he perceived China’s situation and Sino-American relationship, how much he was involved in the diplomatic arena between China and the U.S. and the influence of such involvement, and how and why he judged the Chinese Communist Party regime from much less critical criteria. Aiming to explore what Snow cared in the most representative books regarding his reportage of China, Chapter Five probes into the relation between the positive image of the Red Army and the “Snow” kind of manifest destiny in Red Star Over China, how the situation of the “New China” met and distorted his manifest destiny in The Other Side of the River, the differences between the essence of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Snow’s thoughts in The Long Revolution, and how his manifest destiny in general was projected on China and shrank from what it had used to be. Chapter Six is aimed at the demonstration of each mainstream evaluation about Snow’s personal image through lens of the C.C.P., the K.M.T., and the U.S. Chapter Seven is Conclusion, which induces precedent analyses and gives answers to the questions raised. The findings of the study include that, first, in Sino-American relationship Snow acted as witness and participant of China’s misery and progress, advocator and actionist of anti-autocracy, anti-imperialism and anti-discrimination, and advisor and messenger as diplomatic catalyst; second, he served as messianic messenger who tried to save the oppressed and bridge the gap between the people of the U.S. and those of China. Although neither a communist party member nor a Marxism-Leninism believer in communism, he acknowledged the Chinese Communist movement and cares about the Chinese people, taking up a mission to strengthen the weak and help those in need. He, like a tough teacher, directly applied American value to the observation of the K.M.T. regime but later, like a humble missioner, kept accepting or euphemized how things were going in Red China. In all, Snow’s “manifest destiny” was reflected in the following qualities: brotherhood, altruism, and respect for human rights. The most controversial point is the third quality. Therefore, in terms of Snow’s character, thoughts, and activities, the research is to highlight the uniqueness of him as an American journalist and writer who had his own cultural background, motivation and sense of achievement, and influences. By means of historical records and primary sources, the study aims to scrutinize and induce Snow’s “manifest destiny” qualities on which the significance of his roles and thoughts were reflected, hoping to contribute to related studies and find out some sort of apocalypse in Sino-American exchanges.
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